LOS ANGELES >> A man in his mid-20s escaped serious injuries when he was shot through the cheeks in his face by a suspect in a car in South Los Angeles this morning, a sheriff’s sergeant said.

The shooting was reported at about 1 a.m. at 87th Street and Budlong Avenue, said Sgt. Brendon Corbett of the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station.

“The victim was shot through the cheeks by one suspect,” Corbett said. “He was lucky.” It was a drive-by shooting.

The victim, in his mid-20s, ran to Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th. Street Station territory, but it was determined the shooting occurred in unincorporated Los Angeles County, so the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took over the case.

He was transported to a hospital for treatment, Corbett said. The suspect fled the scene, according to Corbett.